


Ad Astra

by bowandero



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Marauders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:59:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15373200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowandero/pseuds/bowandero
Summary: A collection of short pieces focusing on Remus, Sirius, and/or the Marauders. Contains wolfstar. More to be added.





	1. Ad Astra

Sirius slips the invisibility cloak from his shoulders and tilts his head.

"It's really clear tonight," he says. "Just look at all those stars."

Remus looks skyward. Even the heavens must reach an end somewhere, he supposes, but…

"And there's me," Sirius adds, pointing unnecessarily to the brightest point in the sky, the faithful dog at Orion's heels.

"You were quite aptly named," Remus says fondly, and Sirius grins, leaning against one of the balconies of the Astronomy Tower.

"Yup, a dog through and through," says Sirius, though Remus thinks the origin of the name suits him too—in Ancient Greek, Seirios meant shining. "And look, the moon's so nice and round! Nearly full."

"Getting excited for it, are we?"

"No, not exactly. I was just thinking, it kinda makes me want to—"

It takes Remus a moment to realize what he's going to do, and by then it's already too late: Sirius has become a great, shaggy dog, so big that his head comes up to Remus' waist. Padfoot rears onto his hind legs before letting out a long, low howl.

"Sirius!" Remus yelps. "Christ, not here—"

He laughs, helplessly, and tries to clamp his hand over Sirius' mouth while forcing him back onto the ground. Filch is sure to come running now, but they have the cloak if they need it, and Sirius is so careless, so spontaneous, so reckless, and Remus can't help but adore him.

"You idiot," Remus tells him, and Padfoot wags his tail, looking exceedingly pleased with himself. Remus kneels and scratches him behind the ears while saying, "you're never going to grow up, are you?"

Padfoot shakes and turns back into a boy, who sits on all fours and snickers.

"I don't plan on it. Not for a long time."

"Yeah," agrees Remus. "Me neither. Not if I can help it."

Beyond Hogwarts, Remus knows the reality that awaits them—but how wonderful it would be, he thinks, if they could go on being boys together, to be children, to laugh and to howl into the night, to gaze into the beautiful and vast unknown above their heads until the last twinkling light fades from the sky.

To simply wonder, what more is there beyond the stars.


	2. One of These Days

"Harry," Lily says, "come say hello to your father's friends."

Harry blinks green eyes at them, then goes back to pulling the cat's tail.

"I'm sorry," Lily laughs, and James has an enormous grin on his face as the cat hisses and darts under an armchair. Harry crawls after it like he can't understand why it would be upset. "And he'd just learned how to say hi, too."

"Harry takes after his dad," James declares proudly. "Doesn't take orders from anybody, no sir."

"You take orders from me, James," Lily reminds him.

"Oh, right. Of course," James says, and then he kisses his wife. They smile at each other.

"How shameless," Sirius tells them, as he sets down his coffee. He grins to show he's teasing. "And here I thought James would've driven you to drink by now, Lily."

"Oh, ha ha," says James, and the corners of Remus' mouth turn upward when he tries to slug Sirius from across the table but can't quite reach. "We're doing fine, thank you."

"If I'm being honest, I think I might've gone bonkers by now  _without_ James around," Lily confesses. "You wouldn't believe how hard this is, being trapped inside this long..."

James nods. "It really does help that you blokes come to visit, you know."

"That's exactly why we come," says Remus.

"Exactly," Sirius agrees. "Even though it keeps getting harder and harder to find the time."

"Wormy comes by less, too," Lily points out. "He always seems so nervous."

"Maybe he doesn't like the cat," Remus mutters, and James and Sirius chuckle.

"Lily insisted," James tells them. "We both thought Harry could use a friend."

"Hey—his birthday is coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah, on the thirty-first of July. There's a meeting for the Order that day, though—don’t skip it for him, Pads. Fighting this war's more important."

Sirius takes a hasty sip from his mug. Remus takes a moment to appreciate just how easily James can figure him out.

“Fine then, I won’t.”

"Still,” says Remus, pityingly, “poor thing won't have anyone to come see him."

"I'll be sure to get him something he'll like, at least," Sirius promises. "A toy broomstick, maybe?"

"Goodness,” Lily says, smiling again. “Trying to give him a head start on his Quidditch career are you?"

"Of course," Sirius answers. His voice bubbles with laughter. "He'll be famous one of these days, you know."

"Mama!"

Lily jumps and twists around—Harry is at her leg of her chair with his arms held high.

"Do you want up, Harry?"

“Up!”

Lily lifts Harry into her lap, and Harry looks across the table at their guests.

"Ready to say hello now?" Lily asks him, brightly.

"Hi," Harry says, and then he flaps his tiny hand open and shut.

"Hello, Harry Potter," Sirius says politely, and reaches across the table to shake hands. Harry doesn't seem to understand the gesture, but participates happily.

Remus looks at Sirius over the rim of his cup, and in the brief moment that their eyes meet, Sirius's mouth twitches.

_One of these days, he'll be famous._


End file.
